OCN CH. 6

The accompanying graph charts the average monthly high temperatures in Urbana, Illinois, and San Francisco, California. Both cities are located at approximately the same latitude; however, they experience very different temperatures. • Urbana is located in a rural area with lots of farmland, is in the middle of the continent, and experiences a moderate-to-high amount of snow in the winter. • On the other hand, San Francisco is a big city located on the coast of Pacific Ocean, which decreases seasonal temperature variation. This city doesn't typically have much snowfall during the winter. Determine which line on the graph represents Urbana and which represents San Francisco and label each for the correct city. Indicate how you figured this out by answering the question below.

The ocean by San Francisco limits is temperature variation Urbana San Fran

Even though it's on the same spinning planet, the Coriolis effect influences moving objects and diverts them to the _____ of their intended direction in the Northern Hemisphere and to the _____ of their intended direction in the Southern Hemisphere.

R;L

The Coriolis effect is _____ at the equator and is _____ at the poles.

Zero; strongest

Understanding wind movement is increasingly important as wind power becomes more common. • Wind turbines are driven by air and create electricity, so faster air means more power. • Air close to Earth's surface doesn't move as quickly because it is slowed by friction with Earth's surface. • Wind turbines are tall in order to access the faster-moving air above Earth's surface. Which of the following options describe the features of the ideal location to erect wind turbines in order to generate the most electricity? Select the two that apply.

a strong pressure gradient flat, elevated land

When would you expect the low-pressure cell over the North Pole to be most developed?

during the Northern Hemisphere winter

What term is used to describe the effect on air movement produced by Earth's rotation?

the Coriolis effect

What is the Coriolis Effect?

the deflection of moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

The image below shows Earth's position during the Northern Hemisphere summer. Correctly match the following latitudes with the corresponding letters.

• 1. B: Tropic of Capricorn • 2. D: Arctic Circle • 3. A: Equator • 4. C: Tropic of Cancer • 5. E: Antarctic Circle

In which direction would winds move at the poles if Earth rotated in the opposite direction?

Wind near the north pole would move to the northeast, and the wind near the south pole would move to the southeast.

The map below shows climatic regions of the ocean with different colors. Match the climatic region with the appropriate letter. •

1. B: Equatorial • 2. A: Temperate • 3. E: Tropical • 4. C: Subpolar • 5. D: Subtropical

The image below shows Earth's generalized atmospheric circulation pattern, including wind belts of the world. Match the correct letters to each of the following wind belts and boundary zones that are indicated in the Northern Hemisphere (note that they are mirrored in the Southern Hemisphere). •

1. E: Wind belt: polar easterlies • 2. D: Boundary: doldrums • 3. A: Wind belt: trade winds • 4. B: Boundary: horse latitudes • 5. F: Boundary: polar front • 6. C: Wind belt: prevailing westerlies

This image shows Earth's orbit around the Sun. Correctly match the letters with the positions of Earth (Northern Hemisphere perspective).

• 1. B: Summer solstice • 2. A: Vernal equinox • 3. C: Winter solstice • 4. D: Autumnal equinox

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the East Coast of the United States toward the West Coast of the United States?

Toward the north

• The Trade Winds are one type of prevailing wind pattern. How many other types of prevailing winds are there among earth's global wind patterns?

2

Which of the following statements about water temperatures at 25° N, 84° W from August 25 to August 30 is correct?

The temperature decreased from 32°C to 27°C.

Q1;Part C

greatest temp range: clear skies in day and night intermed: cloudy day and clear night, clear day and cloudy night least: cloudy day and night

What drives Hadley cell circulation?

heating from the Sun

Earth rotates about its axis and all objects on its surface are constantly moving around in a large circle in space. The Earth's oceans and atmosphere are also spinning around with Earth at the same rate. The Coriolis effect may therefore seem predominant, but not all objects are influenced by it and not all the influences get noticed. Which of the following are influenced by Coriolis effect.

helicopter, on a flight ocean currents

Where are Hadley cells found?

in the atmosphere near the equator

How would a moving object in Earth's atmosphere be deflected as a result of Earth's rotation?

to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Identify the main source regions of air masses by completing the following sentences. These source regions influence the weather in North America.

• 1. Maritime (m)air masses originate over water. • 2. Polar (P) and Arctic (A) air masses are cold. • 3. Tropical (T) and Maritime (m) air masses are warm and humid. • 4. Continental (c) and Tropical (T) air masses are warm and dry. • 5. Polar (P) and Arctic (A) air masses originate at high latitudes. • 6. Continental (c) is a term referring to dry air masses.

Which of the following statements regarding sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico during the time period covered by the animation is correct?

Sea-surface temperature decreased after the passage of Hurricane Katrina due to the latent heat of condensation.

The density of mercury is 13.5 times greater than the density of water. If you were to build a barometer that used water instead of mercury to record the standard pressure at sea level, what would be the height of that barometer? Assume that the mercury barometer is 76 centimeters, or 29.92 inches, long (this is the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level).

1026 centimeters (403.92 inches)

The organized, denser portion of Hurricane Katrina (not including the wispy outer spiral bands) was:

900 km in diameter on August 28 at 9 P.M.

The image below shows a cut-away perspective view of a hurricane. Match the correct letter to each of the following features •

1. A: Inside the eye of the hurricane • 2. B: Movement of warm water vapor (arrow) • 3. D: Movement of spiral rain bands (arrow) • 4. C: Movement of cool dry air (arrow)

How does the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) change over time?

The ITCZ migrates south of the equator in Northern Hemisphere winter and north of the equator in Northern Hemisphere summer.

What older household item is used in this video to demonstrate the Coriolis effect?

a turntable (record player)

Which areas of Earth experience the most precipitation?

areas near the ITCZ

Jet streams are fast-moving streams of air high above Earth's surface. A divergence or convergence in the jet stream above a high- or low-pressure center can drive the actions of these pressure centers. If the air in the jet stream is converging or diverging faster than the air at the surface is moving out or in, the driving force of the jet stream is compensated by an increase in surface winds. A jet stream generally diverges above a low-pressure (warm) center. However, at Earth's surface, air converges at a low-pressure center. If the divergence of the jet stream is greater than the convergence of air at the surface low-pressure center below it, what will happen to the surface winds?

The surface winds will likely get stronger.

Why does air tend to rise in equatorial regions?

Equatorial regions receive more direct sunlight than other areas.

Damage from hurricanes is primarily the result of three factors: • Storm surge—The storm surge is a dome of water that sweeps ashore with the hurricane. The waves and water from the storm surge can cause incredible amounts of damage along coastlines. • Wind—Wind damage affects a much larger area than the storm surge. The strong winds associated with a hurricane can ruin mobile homes and can produce multiple tornadoes. • Rain—Winds usually die out within 124 miles of the coast, but rain can continue inland beyond that. Rainstorms can be intense and can cause severe flooding. Hurricanes weaken as they move inland. Therefore, hazards differ by location. Accurate hurricane prediction is extremely important for warning people of any threatening hurricane activity. Imagine that it is late September, and a category 5 storm, Hurricane Gaston, is projected to make landfall along the path shown on the accompanying map. If the storm nears the Dallas-Fort Worth area, what poses the biggest threat to life and property?

Heavy rainstorms may hit Dallas-Fort Worth. Flooding as a result of heavy rains from the storm

The image below shows that about 30 percent of the Sun's energy is reflected and scattered back into space. How would a 50 percent increase in Earth's albedo impact average surface temperatures?

Ice sheets would advance, thereby increasing Earth's overall albedo and further cooling Earth's surface. Higher albedo would result in cooler temperatures on Earth.

Maps that show pressure variation are used to investigate air movement. • Air flows from regions of high pressure to low pressure, and will move faster if there is a greater pressure difference. • Isobars, or lines of constant pressure, are used to illustrate pressure changes in a selected region. • Lines that are closer together indicate that the pressure is changing rapidly. Conversely, lines that are more spaced out indicate that the pressure is changing gradually. • Wind blows from high to low pressure; therefore, more closely spaced bars indicate stronger winds. • The numbers on the lines indicate the air pressure that was determined from barometric readings taken at weather stations. Review the accompanying map. It shows the air pressure distribution across the United States on May 24, 2010, at 4:00 PM CDT. Use this information to rank the wind speeds in the following states from highest to lowest. Before ranking, calculate the change in air pressure in each state by finding the difference between the minimum and maximum isobar line in each state. If there is not an isobar line in a state, find the nearest lines on either side of it.

Kansas, Idaho, Ohio, Washington

Hurricane storms are ranked on the Saffir-Simpson scale, where a category 5 rating is the most severe and category 1 is the least severe. Examples of category 5 hurricanes in the United States include Andrew, Camille, Katrina, Rita, Felix, and the "Labor Day" hurricane. In early September of 1996, Hurricane Fran hit the eastern coast of the United States. The accompanying maps represent the location of Hurricane Fran at 7:00 AM EST on September 5 and 6. • Note that the small, black boxes extending southeast from the storm's center represent the location of the hurricane's eye at 6-hour intervals. The black lines are isobars, or lines of equal pressure, at 7:00 AM EST. • A steep pressure gradient is represented by a narrower spacing of isobar lines. This means that the pressure gradient of an area with isobar lines nearer to each other is steeper than an area with isobar lines with more space between them. Use the information provided by these maps to match the correct answers to each of the following questions.

Pressure grad higher of the 5th at 7am eye traveled approx. 400 miles approx 17 mph

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the South Pole toward the equator?

Toward the left

Which direction would an airplane deflect if flying across South Africa from the west coast to the east coast?

Toward the north

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?

West-for some dumb reason

Cyclones can form where low-pressure centers develop at Earth's surface. • Air moves inward towards the low pressure center. • Air flow generally occurs in a counterclockwise fashion in the Northern Hemisphere, and the opposite direction (clockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere. • To sustain low-pressure centers, these systems require an air flow divergence higher in the atmosphere (e.g., in the jet stream). This air flow divergence creates a place for the rising low-pressure air. • Similarly, an anticyclone, which forms as air moves clockwise out from a high-pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere, can be sustained by a convergence higher in the atmosphere, which would feed air into this high-pressure center, preventing it from being depleted. (An anticyclone moves counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.) The accompanying image of the eastern portion of the United States illustrates the airflow conditions involved in the creation of cyclones and anticyclones. Match the labels to their correct location. Drag the appropriate labels to their respective targets. The cardinal directions apply to the blanks in the sentences in this activity.

sent pic

What is the air that sinks at latitudes of 30 degrees north and south like?

This air is cool and dry.

Which of the following statements about sea-surface temperatures during the time period covered by the animation is correct?

The coldest temperature in the Gulf of Mexico was 27°C.

Hurricane Katrina moved 425 km during which of these time periods?

August 28 at 10 A.M. to August 29 at 10 A.M.

When a ball is thrown in a stationary position, there is very little deflection in its path due to Coriolis effect, far too small for you to notice. But if the ball is thrown in motion, it will be deflected. You will relate the concept of the Coriolis force to a game of catch. The two-dimensional figure shows a game of catch played on a merry-go-round by nine children (the image is viewed from the South Pole). The alphabet A-H indicates the positions of eight children on the merry-go-round with the nineth child in the center. The arrows show the direction of rotation of the merry-go-round, which moves with a constant speed, moves with a constant speed causing a shift of 45∘. Assuming a child sitting in the center attempts to throw the ball directly to child D, which child will likely catch the ball?

C

Why does wind between the equator and 30 degrees south come out of the southeast?

Cooled air moves north toward the equator and is deflected toward the west by the Coriolis effect.

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?

Toward the right

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the West Coast of the United States toward the East Coast of the United States?

Toward the south

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the east coast of South Africa toward the west coast of South Africa?

Toward the south

Rank the following air masses from coldest to warmest using the figure below. •

a wintertime cP air mass • a wintertime mP air mass • a wintertime mT air mass • a summertime cT air mass

Circulation in the atmosphere is influenced by whether the planetary body is rotating or nonrotating. Sort the following features by whether they apply to a rotating Earth, a nonrotating Earth, or neither.

nonrot-one pair convect. cells,all surface air flows toward equator rot-presence of trade winds and westerlies, equatorial and subpolar air flows in and up, 3 pairs of convect. cells neither-surface air flows poleward, air sinks at equator

Which way would wind travel in the region between 30 and 60 degrees latitude if Earth stopped rotating?

south in the Southern Hemisphere and north in the Northern Hemisphere

Fill in the sentences below to explore the process by which a storm becomes a hurricane. Some terms may be used more than once. •

1. A disorganized array of clouds and thunderstorms with little or no rotation is known as a tropical disturbance. • 2. In a tropical depression, wind speeds are below 38 miles per hour. • 3. If winds are between 38 and 74 miles per hour, the condition is called a tropical storm. • 4. In order to be considered a hurricane, wind speeds must be in excess of 74 miles per hour. • 5. The storm is given a name once it reaches the tropical storm stage. • 6. Half or more of tropical storm(s) eventually become hurricanes.

Part C - Fronts and the nature of precipitation Fronts are the boundaries that separate different air masses that often possess contrasting densities. • A warm front is an air mass that has moved into territory previously occupied by cooler air. As this warm air rises because it is less dense, adiabatic cooling produces clouds and generally results in light-to-moderate precipitation (as shown in the figure below). Because warm fronts have low slopes and move slowly, they generally produce precipitation for a longer period of time. • Cold air encroaching on a region occupied by warmer air is called a cold front. These fronts tend to be steeper than warm fronts and move more rapidly because the colder, denser air squeezes underneath the warm air (as shown in the figure below). Because they move quickly, they generally produce precipitation for only a short time. • As a result of these differences, precipitation from cold fronts tends to be more intense and shorter in duration than warm fronts.

Rainstorms are generally shorter when a cold air front comes in quickly and collides with a warm air front. When warm air collides with a cold air front, its slow journey up the slope of the cold air front causes longer rains. Because it moves slowly, its rain is long foretold and long to last.

What two features are many of Earth's deserts associated with?

the subtropical highs and cool ocean currents found along the west coasts of continents